A screengrab taken from the website of travel agent Thomas Cook. Picture: Thomas Cook/PA Wire

"We has a joke yesterday saying imagine we get there and it (Thomas Cook) had shut down.

"If it was a couple of hundred quid I wouldn't care but it's a bloody lot of money."

An estimated 150,000 tourists are being brought home by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in a flight programme costing £100million.

Thomas Cook ceased trading in the early hours of Monday morning after failing to secure a last-ditch rescue deal.

The company was unable to secure the extra £200million needed to keep the business afloat following a full day of crucial talks with the major shareholder and creditors on Sunday.

Richard Moriarty, the chief executive of the CAA, said the Government had asked his organisation to launch 'the UK's largest ever peacetime repatriation' which will involve flights from 53 airports in 18 countries.

Thomas Cook's chief executive, Peter Fankhauser, said his company had 'worked exhaustively' to salvage a rescue package.

He said: "This is a statement I hoped I would never have to make."

"Following a decision by the board late last night, the UK Government's official receiver was appointed in the early hours of this morning, the 23rd of September, to take control of Thomas Cook.

"Despite huge efforts over a number of months and further intense negotiations in recent days, we have not been able to secure a deal to save our business.

"I know that this outcome will be devastating to many people and will cause a lot of anxiety, stress and disruption."

"I would like to apologise to our millions of customers, and thousands of employees, suppliers and partners who have supported us for many years.

"This marks a deeply sad day for the company which pioneered package holidays and made travel possible for millions of people around the world."

Thomas Cook had two shops in Weston and Worle.

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